3 killed as two cars collide on Nice Road

Three persons, including a boy, were killed, while eight others sustained injuries in a head-on collision between two cars near Shanmukhaswami temple on Nice Road in Rajarajeshwarinagar on Sunday evening.

The deceased are Prashanth, 27, a civil contractor and resident of Byatarayanapura, Murali, 36, a businessman from Srinagar and his two-and-ha lf-year-old son Shashank, said the police.

The eight injured - Murali’s wife Manjula, 30, Nagaraj, 35, his children Priya, 12, Preetham, 8 and Preethi, 14, and Shivamurthy, 37, Prajwal, 37 and Gangadhar, 30 - are being treated at a private hospital in Nagarabhavi. Manjula’s condition is said to be critical. A dog that was travelling in one of the cars escaped unhurt in the accident.

Prashanth had recently bought a new Maruthi Swift car and went to the Kabbalamma temple at Sathanur in the car to offer special puja. Prashanth’s friends Prajwal and Gangadhar accompanied him. All the three were returning to the city after the puja, with Prajwal at the wheels, the police said.

Nagaraj, an electrician and a resident of Avalahalli, is getting a house constructed at Ramohalli, off Mysuru Road, and wanted to see the construction work. He decided to visit the site along with his family members in their Maruti Omni car and also invited his friend Murali. They picked up Murali and his family and headed to Ramohalli, police said.

Prajwal was driving the Swift car recklessly and lost control of it when he approached Armugam temple.

He took a slight turn, the car crossed the road divider and entered the other side, where the Omni car was coming from the opposite direction and the two vehicles collided.

All those in the two cars were rushed to a nearby hospital, where doctors declared Shashank and Prashanth dead on arrival. Murali failed to respond to treatment and succumbed to his injuries.

The police said it is not known if Prajwal and two others in the Swift car were drunk.
The police registered a case under IPC Sections 304 A (causing death due to negligence) and 279 (rash and negligent driving on public way).